Softball kit



Dec. 28, 1948. H. L. DUNLAP I SOFT BALL KIT Filed June 7,, 1946 v INVENI OR.

He/712g 16? Patented Dec. 28, 1948 Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,457,454 SOFTBALL Krr I Henry Lee Dunlap, Dearborn, Mich. Application June 7, 1946, Serial No. 675,205 2 Claims. (01. 273-25) This invention relates to a kit of equipment for properly laying out and providing the bases employed for a soft or other ball game. a h,

It is an object of this invention to provide a light easily carried kit containing the necessary equipment for properly laying out and providing the necessary bases and pitchers box employed for playin a softball game.

It is a further object of this invention'to provide a kit including the bases for use Playing a softball game, holddown stakes for each of said bases, and a layout string, for use in laying out the relative position of each of the bases with respect to the pitchers mound, mounted on a layout string winder.

It is a further object of this invention to provide plates for use as bases on a softball playing field which have a plurality of slots therein adapt-v ed to receive holddown stakes and a layout string winder so that these elements may be placed between said plates and held there without making the kit bulky when all of said platesare secured together in one convenient kit.

These and other objects of my invention will become apparent from the following detailed ie scription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the kit as assembled;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 that is in a plane immediately below the two upper plates shown in Figure 1, so as to show the arrangement of stakes and string winder therebelow;

Figure 4 is a perspective View of one of the plates with the holddown stake inserted through a slot therein; v

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken centrally through a plate and a cooperating stake showing the stake securing the plate to the ground; a

Figure 6 is a perspective View of the layout string winder; V I

Figure 7 is a plan view of one of the holddown stakes; and,

Figure 8 is a side view of one of the holddown stakes.

The softball kit comprises three main parts, namely, a plurality of plates 9, a plurality of holddown stakes II and a layout string l3 wound on a layout string winder l5.

The kit contains at least four and preferably five flat square plates 9 made of wood, rubber,

2 plastic, metal or any other suitable material, but in the embodiment shown in the drawings the plates are made of plywood. In other words, it contains one plate each for home plate, first base, second base and thirdbasaand' preferably one to serve as the pitchers box or mound. Each plate is provided with five elongated slots I9 parallel to and adjacent oneedge of the plate. These slots are identically located in all plates. A sixth slot 2| is centrally located on the plate 9 and preferably has its axis perpendicular to the direction of the grain of the upper layer of the plywood, as brought out in Figs. 1 and 4, so as to reduce any tendency to enlarge or tear if pressure is applied outwardly on it. For machining purposes slots l9 as well as slots 2| are elongated in the same direction. However, the relative direction of the slot 2| with relation to slots I 9 is unimportant except from the standpoint of economy in manufacture. The slots [9 may be, but are not necessarily, spaced equally across the surface of the plate 9. Preferably, as shown in Figure 1, three slots are. located on one 'side of the center line of the plate 9 and two slots on the opposite side. This is to allow clearance directly above the slot 2| so that the piece which fits into slot 2| will not come in contact with the parts fitting into the slots l9.

The second, part of the ,kit comprises five holddown stakes II. In the broader aspects of the invention these stakes may be of any suitable design and construction, but in the particular embodiment shown in the drawings, and which comprises a more limited phase of the present invention, they are made from spring metal, and preferably from spring wire steel, and each stake is made from one piece of wire. The stake shown comprises a pair of downwardly extending legs 23, the lower ends of which are bent outwardly'as at 25 so that when the stake is pushed into the ground, as brought out in Figure 5, the outwardly extending portions 25 will cause the legs 23 to spread apart and thus hold the stake more firmly into the ground. An S- shaped head portion 21 has its opposite ends extending laterallyfrom the upper portion of the legs 23. Just below head portion 21 the legs 23 are bent outwardly as at 29 to provide a shoulder portion. Stakes l l are adapted to be pushed vertically through the slot 2| in the plate 9. The length of the slots 2| is so related to the spacing of the legs 23 immediately below the head 21, that'when' a stake is pushed through the slot 2| the inwardly inclined upper portions 29 of the legs 23 snap into the slot 2| in the plate 9 tightly on one of said plates with the lateral projections REFERENCES CITED of.sald stakes fitted 1.11130 thelr re spect1ve slots m The following references are of record in the said plate, the remainder of sa1d plates placed file of this patent,

above and below said plate containing the stakes and winder, a harness permanently secured to 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS one of said plates, for substantially holding said Number Name Date plates together for carrying purposes, and means 1,416,525 Taylor May 16, 1922 secured to said harness for carrying said assem- 2,084,775 Or'efice June 22, 1937 bled kit.

HENRY LEE DUNLAP. 10 

